■jo* TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



may differ from Dr Shaw, and yet be right, and that this 

 writer, however learned he may be, cannot, for want of 

 infoimation, be competent to folve this queftion which he 

 fo much infifts upon, I ihall now, with great fubmimon 

 to tne judgment of my reader, endeavour to explain, in as 

 few words as poilible, how the real Hate of the matter 

 ftands, and he will then apply it as he pleafes. 



There was a very ingenious gentleman whom I met 

 with at Cairo, M. Antes, a German by birth, and of the Mo- 

 ravian perfuafion, who, both to open to himfelf more freely 

 the opportunities of propagating his religious tenets, and to 

 gratify his own mechanical turn, rather than from a view 

 of gain, to which all his fociety are (as he was) perfectly 

 indifferent, exercifed the trade of watch-maker at Cairo. 

 This very worthy and fagacious young man was often my 

 unwearied and ufeful partner in many inquiries and trials, 

 as to the manner of executing fome inftruments in the moft 

 compendious form for experiments propofe,d to be made 

 in my travels. By his affiftance, I formed a rod of brafs, of 

 half an inch fquare, and of a thicknefs which did not eafily 

 warp, and would not alter its dimenfions unlefs with a 

 violent heat. Upon the three faces of this brafen rod we 

 traced, with good glafTes and dividers, the meafure of three 

 different peeks, then the only three known in Cairo, the 

 exact length of which was taken from the ftandard model 

 furnifhed me by the Cadi. The firft was the Stambouline, 

 or Conftantinople peek, exactly 23 1 inches ; the fecond, the 

 Hendaizy, of i\-J- inches ; and the third the peek El JBelledy, 

 jq? 22 inches, all Englifh meafure. 



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